the Adventures of a Fantasy Writer Through the Nine Realms

Category: Lifestyle

…It is an issue of society’s disconnect from that which is sacred.

Since the coming of Christendom, and possibly even further back in history, western civilizations, in particular, have been in a state of spiritual decline. This has, in effect, cut us off from our higher awareness and left us desensitized to the spiritual undercurrent of life.

For centuries, humanity has been taught that certain segments of society are lesser than others, be it women who are blamed for the fall of man in the Christian creed, or by whatever social norms dictated the day. But it was not always this way, at least not for all cultures at all times in their history.

In ages past, despite the hardships of a more primitive way of life, peoples all over the world, including the indigenous populations of Europe, have held a deep reverence for that which we call Spirit. They knew that all life was sacred, from the rocks and the earth, the plants and the trees, the sea and sky, to the animals and even humankind itself. Everything had its place in the grand scheme of things, both in life and in death. Male, female, the young and the old, the warrior and the sage, the worker in the fields and the chiefly class. All were valued that had something to offer to the whole. Elders were revered for their wisdom, gained by long years of experience; Children for their innocence and potential for the future; women for their life bearing abilities and nurturing nature, men for the part they play in the continuation of life and for their role as a protector and provider in those hunter-gatherer days. These traditional roles carried on even into the agricultural era. But the thing that stands out as a prevailing theme is the awareness that all was viewed as sacred, and that is what we are missing in our world now.

Social movements, such as feminism, are merely symptoms of a greater imbalance — that of soul. In our secular world, we have lost our connection to that spiritual undercurrent and to the very earth itself. We no longer acknowledge the sacredness of life and the world in which we live. We no longer see the divine in each other, and as a result, disease of the body, mind and soul set in, leading us down paths of decadence, where self-destructive impulses reign. As a society, we rot from the inside out.

The cure to our ailments isn’t more “us against them”, men vs. women, black vs. white, etc, etc. The cure to what ails us is a reconnect to our higher selves and to that spiritual flow of life. Reconnect to nature by spending time in quiet contemplation in settings like forests, by lakes or rivers, mountains, or anywhere that speaks to you. Discover your true self and your higher purpose in this realm, and acknowledge the divinity in others, even if they still haven’t figured it out for themselves. We are all struggling to find our way in life, so don’t allow judgement and hatred to settle into your heart for those who stumble and fall or lose their way. Instead, develop a sense of compassion and understanding for others, as well as for yourself. If we want to, we can change this world for the better, but that change must start from within, and for that to happen, we must put aside our anger and our judgement, and learn to listen with our hearts, even when it is hard to do. Make friends of your enemies by giving them the space to speak and express their fears and troubles, without judging. Learn to express your own feelings without insulting those you disagree with. Try to see the good in others, and always remember that we each have a purpose in this life, if we would only take that first step.

Well, that’s my WordPress contribution of the day, for what it’s worth. I hope at least one person will find something of value in this post, but by no means do I claim to have all the answers. This was just something that came to me at a time of heightened awareness recently, and I felt it is something I should share.

Now, go enjoy your weekend, everyone!

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Now that I’m back in the swing of things (finally have decent internet, so I can synch up my files with my little team of editing elves), I felt it was time to ramp up my activity levels. My yoga group and I have been skipping a lot of classes lately. I teach yoga once a week to a small group, but there has been so much going on, other events that people didnt want to miss and so on, that yoga has taken a back burner. Then last week I started playing volleyball in the nearby village. A few peop!e from the yoga class play. That was a refreshing change, and I realised how much I needed to mix things up a little.

Yoga is more like my maintainance routine. It improves flexibility, develops strength and balance. But it doesn’t challenge me in the way other sports do. So… I started running. Sunday marked the start of Week 1 of my running challenge. Gods, I hate running! All the more reason to push myself. So, I’ve been running every other morning since starting. My dog tags along with me, and sometimes it feels more like I’m dragging her along. She better shape up or she won’t be going with me anymore. My routine goes something like this: Wake up around 7am, get my daughter ready and take her by bike to kindergarten (for the Americans out there, that means preschool), come home, get the dog and off we go. We don’t get far, but it’s the best I can do. Come home, make breakfast, and try not to eat some great big feast (since by that time I’m starving!), then try to get some writing or chores done.

So, what do you do to keep in shape while still managing to get some writing/reading done? Leave a reply in the comments. 😊